Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them,
for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."Matthew 19:14

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Sunday, July 31, 2016

Treasure in Heaven

Children’s
Chapel

July 31,
2016

Proper 13C

Welcome: Children will
enter quietly and sit together on the floor. Welcome all children and ask if
there are any new friends today.

Theme: Treasure in Heaven

Introduction: Raise your hand if any of you know what a treasure is.
(allow several children to answer.) You are right! A treasure can be anything
we see that is valuable such as jewels, or money, or gold. Treasure may also be
something that is very important to us such as our favorite blanket, or stuffed
animal. A treasure may even be something that we are good at, like being able
to play soccer really well or being able to paint or sing. Even people can be a
treasure to us! In today’s Bible store, Jesus talks about our treasure. Let’s
listen to what he says in the Gospel of Luke.

Bible Reference (Read Aloud)

Luke 12:13-21

13Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my
brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14But he said to
him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15And
he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for
one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” 16Then
he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17And
he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my
crops?’ 18Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns
and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And
I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years;
relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This
very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have
prepared, whose will they be?’ 21So it is with those who store up
treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

Response: In the parable
that Jesus told, Jesus tells the story of a farmer who had so many crops that
he felt that should build a bigger barn in order to store the food. The food
the farmer grew was his treasure and he wanted to protect it in order to keep
it all for himself. God said that this farmer was very foolish. I wonder why?
Before we answer that question let me read you another story called

“The Rainbow
Fish” (Read “The Rainbow Fish” aloud to children. After the story ask the
following.)

Wow! That Rainbow Fish sure was
beautiful! He had a great treasure of beautiful shiny scales. Do you think the
other fish thought he was beautiful? Yes! They thought he was so beautiful that
they wanted to have one of his shiny scales too. What did the Rainbow Fish do?
(allow responses.) No, he did not allow any of the fish to have any of his
beautiful shiny scales. He kept them all to himself and he even got a little mad
didn’t he? How did that make the other fish feel? (allow responses.) You are
right! The other fish felt upset and rejected and decided to not talk to the
Rainbow Fish. Just like the farmer in Jesus’ parable, the Rainbow Fish wanted
to keep his treasure all to himself and he was very foolish. What happened
after the Rainbow Fish talked to the Octopus? Yes, he started to share his
beautiful shiny scales and then he realized after seeing his treasure on other
fish just how happy he was because of the gift of joy in sharing with others.

You know it’s not easy to share our
treasure whatever it may be. We may feel like it’s too special to share with
others or that we want to keep it all to ourselves. It’s not easy to share our
treasures, but when we trust God with it whether it is something we have made
or earned or a special talent we have, God will help us to share our treasure
with others. In our sharing, we experience God’s special gift of joy and
happiness that he always gives us. Just as the Rainbow Fish felt joy when he
shared his shiny scales, we will also feel God’s gift of joy when we trust God
with our treasure.

Pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your
love, the gift of your Son Jesus and all the many blessings you bestow upon us.
Help us to share our treasure with others so that we may receive the full joy
that you so richly give us when we trust in you. Amen.